


Back to the BNKR

by ruff_ethereal



Series: Heaven Seven [2]
Category: Little Witch Academia, RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dark Past, Depression, Dysfunctional Family, Explicit Language, Eye Trauma, F/F, Gen, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Injury Recovery, Major Character Injury, Mental Health Issues, Non-Explicit Sex, Past Abuse, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Child Abuse, Past Domestic Violence, Past Drug Use, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, Permanent Injury, Physical Disability, Prosthesis, References to Depression, The world can break your body but never let it break your spirit, This is a story about horrible awful things happening and moving on and being happy again regardless, Trauma, Underage Drinking, Underage Drug Use, Underage Sex, Underage Smoking, Verbal Abuse, characters with disabilities
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-11-26 09:11:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20927741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruff_ethereal/pseuds/ruff_ethereal
Summary: Mistral is saved from destruction at the hands of the Grimm, thanks in no small part to the heroic efforts of AWRD, and the power of the Shiny Rod. But now, the team reels as the attack may have left their leader Akko permanently blind and unfit for combat, old problems make an unexpected and dramatic comeback, and their newly forged bonds are threatened more dramatically than ever before.Meanwhile, all of Mistral struggles and buckles from weight of the catastrophic aftermath; the rest of Remnant scrambles to secure their own capitals and assure their citizens of their safety; and shadowy figures make their moves on the sides, in a bid to protect Remnant from an evengreaterthreat.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Updates Bi-Weekly.

The stage for the night’s show was a small one, just a simple outdoors theater with rows of plain benches for the audience. It was a far cry from Chariot’s usual venues: the biggest, most prestigious, and most expensive arenas and stages in all of Remnant, because nowhere else could possibly fit the sheer number of people paying to see her perform, have the infrastructure to support the sort of stunts and displays she was planning, and her fans were expecting.

It wasn’t as vigorously and extensively marketed as her other live shows, too. There were no months-long ad campaigns venturing to the most remote corners of civilization; no partnerships with big-name brands, corporations, or other celebrities; and no commercials on, nor news coverage from the major networks on the CCT.

It wasn’t even going to be a very _long _performance—just Chariot’s one act, for a total run time of less than five minutes.

But six-year-old Akko didn’t care, nor did any of the other fans attending that night—they were _finally _able to see Chariot perform live. All of them were restless, impatiently squirming in their seats, gabbing about all the many other shows they could only watch from a screen, wondering aloud just what sort of spectacle Chariot was going to wow them with tonight.

Then, the ushers began to roam around, asking them to calm down and be quiet: the show was about to begin.

Heads turned, eyes squinted, some stood up on their seats; after a full minute, people started to ask, “Where’s Chariot?” All anyone could see was just an empty stage, all its lights on, but no sign of her emerging from the wings, dropping down from the roof, or emerging from the floor.

Then a brilliant white bird flew down from the night sky, passing over the heads of the audience, then onto the stage. It transformed into a bright, whirling mass of aura, then exploded into a dazzling display of lights, Shiny Chariot in the center of it all.

Gasps, cries of surprise, and cheers erupted from the audience. “Chariot!” they yelled.

“Welcome to the Land of Wonder!” Shiny Chariot called out as she held out her hand, the Shiny Rod appeared in it from thin air. “Reach out and it will begin—your very own story!”

And with a twirl of her weapon, her semblance spreading its effect far and wide, Chariot’s show began.

A wave crashed over the audience, they cried out and braced themselves; the water disappeared, they opened their eyes, and suddenly found themselves sitting in a sea of shining stars. Colourful, whimsical illusions began to flutter about, appearing from thin air or emerging from the audience members. Then, Chariot took off from the stage, suddenly flying with bird’s wings, galloping just above the audience’s heads on horse’s legs, swimming and jumping about in the air with a fish’s tail.

The audience whipped their heads every which way as they followed to follow Chariot, entranced, unwilling, _unable_ to take their eyes off her.

Chariot returned to the stage, she waved and smiled at the audience. No one hesitated to cheer, clap and applaud, or smile and wave back. Everything seemed to be going fantastically, until Chariot’s expression suddenly turned to shock, her eyes narrowed at something beyond the audience.

Akko looked, cried out and clung to her mother sitting beside her—a Wyvern had suddenly appeared!

It let out a mighty roar, screams rose up from the audience, panic spread like wildfire; it almost looked like there was going to be a stampede, until they realized it was only going for Shiny Chariot’s illusions flying and fluttering about, ignoring the vulnerable audience members entirely.

It was just a _very _well-made simulated Grimm.

Still, Shiny Chariot treated it like it was the real deal. She took to the air and rocketed straight towards the wyvern, no hesitation or fear on her face. _“Noctu Orfei __A__uede Fraetor!” _she chanted.

In seconds, the Shiny Rod transformed into a bow. “Shiny Arc!” Chariot cried as she fired off an aura arrow, striking the wyvern between the eyes.

It reeled, before it roared again as it barreled straight towards Chariot. She didn’t even look the slightest bit concerned as she prepared to fire several more arrows.

An epic battle soon ensued, the wyvern chasing Chariot and lashing out at her with its talons, tail, and jaws, Chariot gracefully dodging its attacks at the last possible moments, before retaliating with arrows and a handful of acrobatic strikes. The crowds cheered for her, booed the wyvern, and ducked, flinched, and yelled whenever the staged fight got a little _too _real.

Within a minute, the wyvern was clearly losing badly, blood red wounds and deep fractures all over its body. Desperate, it thrashed its wings wildly, summoning a small storm. Audience members braced themselves and gripped onto their seats, Chariot flew against the raging winds, until was sent spinning through the air!

“Chariot!” Akko and several others cried.

The wyvern blasted forward, jaws wide-open, murder in its eyes.

Chariot suddenly stopped and hovered in place, grinned as she fired an arrow straight into the wyvern’s maw.

The wyvern swallowed it whole. It suddenly slowed down, the entire audience could briefly see how _badly _it had regretted its decision. Fissures started appearing all over its body, beams of Chariot’s aura shooting out of them.

_Boom._

The wyvern exploded, all the illusions it had swallowed flying out, Chariot’s excess aura exploding like fireworks. The audience cheered, shouted, and clapped, Chariot took a moment to look over her shoulder, gaze at the sea of smiling, starstruck faces beneath her.

“Never forget!” she called out. “A believing heart is your power!”

She fired an arrow into the air, it opened some kind of portal. Chariot flew through it and disappeared, leaving nothing but a gentle rain of sparkling lights as Chariot’s illusions began to dissipate. Akko caught one in her hands, then held it close to her chest, cherishing it until it disappeared.

It was at that exact moment that she decided she was going to become a huntress, just like Chariot.

* * *

_Eleven years later, five weeks after the Tsukimi Festival Attack…_

“Ms. Kagari, I know you wish to discuss returning to Haven and continuing your huntress training, but I _strongly _advise we talk about alternative options for your future first.”

Akko could not see the expression of the guidance counselor sitting across her, her eyes were still too damaged to see, but it was easy to imagine a carefully manufactured and practiced look of sympathy, trying not to be condescending, nor overly obvious about what they_ really _thought.

“I’d rather we not do that, please.” Akko replied calmly.

She was sure the counselor now had what Winter called the “I totally respect your goals and wishes, but...” face. “Ms. Kagari,” he said, “do you know that as of now, your chances of graduating and becoming a licensed huntress are _very _slim?”

“I know that.” Akko said. “But, they said the same thing to me _before _I enrolled in Sanctum, _while_ I was studying in Sanctum, and when I submitted my grades to Haven, so I’m not too worried.”

“And do you know that you will have to completely drop out of the current semester due to the severity of your injuries, and the prognosis given by your doctors? And that you will likely have to go through both the application process _and _the initiation exam a second time?”

“I know that.”

“And do you know that your teammates will be forced to drop out with you, wait for however long it may take for you to recover to re-enroll themselves, and that they will have to go through much the same procedures as you?”

Akko scowled. “I--!” she said, before she stopped, and her face fell. “I… I didn’t know that, actually.”

She could hear the counselor tapping something on their scroll. “Out of curiosity, what _did _you think would happen with your teammates, Ms. Kagari?”

“Well, you know, the same thing as any other team that’s temporarily down a member!” Akko replied. “They go on leave, train to stay sharp, do missions on the side, maybe help with my recovery if they can, then when I get better, we pick up where we left off.”

“I assume you learned that Professor and Doctor Schnee?”

“Yeah,” Akko replied, nodding. “They tend to supervise them when they decide it’s going to be a small-load semester.”

“And did you never notice that these teams were always second years or above?”

Akko paused. “… Now that you mention it, yeah: no first years.”

The counselor took a deep breath, before he continued. “Ms. Kagari, normally, when a first year team like yours suffers the unexpected loss of a member—and_ especially_ their leader—they are dissolved, and either reformed with new members, or are dismissed from the program.

“However, as is probably obvious to all of you, AWRD is a _very _special, unique case.”

“Because of the Shiny Rod?” Akko asked.

“Exactly,” the counselor replied. “There is plenty we still do not understand about the artefact, but it is obvious that you four are _very _important to it. The administration believed it was _extremely _ill-advised to separate the four of you from it or each other, if it could be helped, so they planned to ignore or modify most every rule to avoid that.

“But now, there is a _very _high chance you’ll be unfit for combat in general, and more so unable to handle the increasingly difficult and dangerous threats you’ll face as Huntress, Shiny Rod or no.

“If that turns out to be the case”--the counselor knocked on the wooden table--“we feel it would be best if AWRD is dissolved, and Mss. Schnee, Rose, and Cavendish reform with a new member who is _also _accepted by the Shiny Rod, so their training may resume as soon as Haven is back to operation.

“You may stay with them all on campus and during deployments, though obviously in a non-combat capacity.”

“And if I recover?” Akko asked. “If I can prove I can still fight? If the Shiny Rod still lets me use it?”

“Then we focus on keeping your team together as originally planned, with additional compromises, modifications, and support programs as needed. But the administration has agreed that if any of you—and I must stress, _any _of you—fail to meet the standards, we will follow the regular protocol and dismiss your team from the program.

“And from a purely objective standpoint, Ms. Kagari: your chances of meeting the _increasingly _strict standards and requirements are much, _much _lower than the rest of your teammates.”

Akko went quiet, turning her head down, her expression conflicted.

The counselor waited several minutes, before he spoke again. “Ms. Kagari, I understand that your lifelong dream has been to become a huntress like your idol, Shiny Chariot, and that you’ve put so much work and sacrifice to achieving that dream, in spite of the odds. It’s honestly quite inspiring!

“But I implore you to ask yourself: is trying to achieve _your _dream really worth seriously risking that of your _teammates’ _dreams…?”

Silence.

“Ms. Kagari, would you like to continue our consultation some other day?” the counselor asked. “I understand this is a lot to take in and think about, and that you might need time to process it all, so I will happily reschedule the rest of our consultation—would two weeks from now be fine?”

“… Yeah, it’ll be fine.” Akko mumbled.

“I’ll inform you of the exact date within a week, Ms. Kagari,” the counselor said, before he got up, escorted Akko out of the room, and back up the hall.

“Akko!” Mrs. Kagari cried as soon as they reached the lobby. Akko heard her running towards her, felt her throw her arms around her and pull her into a hug. “Oh, Akko...” she whispered, sniffling.

“Okaa-san…?” Akko asked. “Is something wrong…?”

Akko felt Mrs. Kagari away and kiss her forehead. “It’s okay, Akko, you don’t need to be strong around me...”

It was only when she felt Mrs. Kagari wiping her cheeks with a handkerchief did Akko realize she had been crying.


	2. Chapter 2

_Elsewhere, in the Schnee Home near Hoshiko…_

“OH, FOR _FUCK’S_ SAKE!” Diana yelled as she backpedaled out of the Schnee children’s room, one hand pulling the door shut, the other covering her eyes. “What happened to putting a scarf on the door?!”

“Oops!” Weiss cried, her voice weak and trembling. “Sorry about that…!”

_Click. _The door closed, Diana remained outside in the hall, rubbing her temples.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Weiss called out, “Do you, uh, need us to_ stop…? _Because we can totally stop!”

“I _need _you two to please_ cover up, _so I may retrieve my notebooks, without seeing any more than I already have.” Diana replied, a vein now visibly throbbing on her head. “I will be in-and-out in a minute, I assure you.”

“Alright, just wait a bit…!” Weiss cried. There were some faint sounds of quick, hurried activity, before she called out, “Okay, you can come in now!”

Diana opened the door a crack and peered in. She found Weiss still kneeling on her bed, holding Ruby’s cloak tight around her body, eyes pointedly looking everywhere but at Diana. For the guardrail and the angle, she could just barely see a Ruby laying beneath Weiss, the parts of her uncovered by her cloak instead concealed by Weiss’ blanket.

There was a brief moment where Diana debated if she should comment, or just _scream _at this latest absurdity, before she sighed, collected her notebooks from Winter’s desk, and left, slamming the door behind her.

_Wham._

Weiss sighed, and smiled, letting Ruby’s cloak fall of her shoulders.

Diana opened the door again, Weiss screamed and pulled it back up around her. She watched as Diana slipped her arm in, blindly grabbed one of the scarves hanging off the door’s hooks, tied it around the knob facing the hall, then shut the door a second time.

Weiss decided not to thank her for her consideration.

Diana was soon back in Nick’s workshop, setting her notebooks down on a worktable she was using as a desk, before she dropped into her chair, leaned back, and thought about how things got to this point.

On the eve of their release from Haven Hospital, AWRD was supposed to be flown straight out of the capital, and to a secluded, secure retreat far, _far _away. It was as much for their benefit as it was for the city’s, as no shortage of people had noticed the Shiny Rod’s tendency to be involved in brutal Grimm attacks, as if it were acting like an industrial magnet. Even if the rumours were on incredibly shaky ground—in fact, Grimm activity for miles out around the capital was inexplicably low or nonexistent since the Festival—both Lionheart and the Mistralian Council did not want even the _perception _that they weren’t doing every last thing they could to keep the city safe.

AWRD only objected to the original location. Even if it was a luxurious and fully-staffed vacation home usually reserved for VIPs, and they had the permission of the entire Mistralian Council to use it however they pleased, they balked at how much it would probably cost Haven, and consequently, the taxpayers.

So instead they compromised and stayed at the Schnee home, not nearly as luxurious, but still secure and secluded, and much less expensive to the public beside.

Diana had thought it was a workable, livable arrangement, and besides that, it would be good experience for the future, when she’d be forced to use similarly humble and isolated lodgings, if her team wasn’t forced to camp outside instead.

Then Diana finally got to  personally and regularly see  just how dysfunctional, loud, and chaotic the Schnees could be in their home, with or without guests; Mistral’s State of Emergency  and their exile  kept getting extended  longer and longer , as more and more poor disaster planning, project mismanagement, and outright corruption kept getting exposed; and most recently, Weiss’ depression had made a dramatic comeback, and unable to get an adjustment of her medication  any time soon , she had been using other means to cope —such as near- _constant _ sex and masturbation.

They were all, to put it simply, driving her  _insane. _ The situation was not without its bright sides, though. 

O ne  was that Diana  had  nearly complete  access to Nick and Freya’s extensive collection of  classroom  materials, literature,  and their and their students’ research. It was not nearly up to the level of thoroughness nor diversity of Haven’s library, and  Haven’s  CCT being severely restricted for non-government use hampered her  studies  greatly, but it was better than nothing.

Another was that as much as everyone else was driving her up the wall, they were often just as willing to help her maintain what was left of her sanity, such as surprising her with tea.

_Clink._

A tray with a tea set for two was set down before Diana, she snapped out of her thoughts, reflexively sitting up straight. She looked up, and saw Whitley already pouring tea out for both of them—Northern Anima Pine Needle, as was common in the region. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked.

“Later,” Whitley replied as he put the pot down, started stirring in their preferred amounts of honey and lemon. 

“If you insist,” Diana said as she picked up her cup.

Whitley pulled up a  nearby  chair, and the two of them spent the next several minutes quietly sipping their tea in silence, only breaking it to  offer another cup . Diana soon felt the brew’s famous invigorating effect,  her shoulders lighter  and her  mind  clearer.

“Better now?” Whitley asked.

“Yes, thank you.” Diana said, nodding. “Now, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Would you be willing to hear me talk about the latest act in the ongoing shit show that is currently Mistral?” Whitley asked cheerfully.

“Go ahead,” Diana replied as she set her cup down. “I’ve been woefully behind on the news, anyway.”

“As someone who’s _forced _to keep track of it daily, you’re not missing much.” Whitley said flatly. “Anyway: did you know that the Minister of Disaster Reduction, Response, and Relief was arrested yesterday?”

Diana’s eyebrows rose. “She was?”

“Yep!” Whitley said, nodding. “Caught trying to flee the capital on a private ship, that was _definitely _not being used for official government business. That’s all boring legal matters, though, so guess what she tried to take with her as carry-on luggage? Precious jewelry, incriminating documents and data storage devices, and briefcases full of untraceable Lien aside.”

Diana put down her cup, and thought for a moment. “A choice selection of expensive clothing from her wardrobe?”

“Not quite.”

“Illicit substances plus paraphernalia?”

“Nope—she’s a teetotaler, actually. One last guess! Please, take your time.”

Diana did, tapping the side of her face. “Hmm… rare, valuable, and quite possibly illegally-acquired piece of artwork?”

“Close, but not quite!” Whitley said.

“So what was it?” Diana asked.

Whitley smiled as he leaned in, gestured for Diana to do the same. She did, and Whitley whispered, “Pen toppers.”

Diana blinked. “Pardon me—_what?”_

“A box of Inu Miku pen toppers,” Whitley explained as he leaned back. “You know, that cartoon dog you see plastered on everything you could possibly put her face on?”

“I'm familiar, yes,” Diana said, nodding dumbly. After a few moments of silence, her expression clearly troubled, she asked, “So on an escape where her position, her reputation, and even her _freedom _were all at stake, she decided to bring a box of _pen __toppers _with her…?”

“To be fair, they’re super rare, one-of-a-kind pen toppers, completely irreplaceable.” Whitley hummed. “There is exactly one, 100% authentic box of them ever produced, a test batch sent to Nisora headquarters, before the partner in charge of production went bankrupt for unrelated reasons. As you might have inferred, our now _ex_-Minister was the proud owner of said box.

“It’s quite the poetic story, really,” Whitley said, taking a sip of his tea before he continued. “The box broke as they were trying to load it, and she insisted on having every single last pen topper recovered and accounted for. That gave the authorities enough time to catch up to the plot, rush in, and arrest her —incidentally, they were at 367 of 500.

“Now, all the pen toppers have been seized, both as evidence and because she used embezzled funds to buy it in the first place.”

Whitley chuckled humorously. “I’d find it all _hilarious, _really, if it wasn’t yet _one more _reason the disaster recovery has been such an unmitigated disaster in itself, but _still _I laugh, because_ otherwise_ I’ll cry,” he finished, his voice and hands now trembling.

Diana frowned. She hesitated for a moment, before she reached out and gently patted Whitley on the shoulder.

“Thank you,” Whitley whispered, before he took a deep breath, and composed himself. “That was all I had, I’ll leave you to your work now,” he said as he got up, took his used cup with him. “Shall I remind you if you’ve spent far too long without food, water, or a break, as usual?”

“Please do,” Diana said.

As if on cue, Diana’s scroll started ringing; she pulled it out, the both of them saw it was Akko calling.

“Shall I leave quickly so you can talk with your girlfriend in private?” Whitley asked, smirking.

“I am _not _going to dignify that with a response,” Diana said as she glared at him.

Whitley hurried on out the door anyway, and Diana only answered after he had shut it behind him. “Hello, Akko,” she said, the scowl on her face quickly turning into a smile.

“_Hey Diana!”_ Akko replied cheerfully._ “__Are you __busy __right now__?” _

“No, not at all,” Diana said, “Just had to take care of a few things before answering. Did you have your meeting with your counselor already?”

“_Mhmm! That’s… why I’m calling, actually.” _

Diana frowned. “Is everything alright?”

Akko started to say say something, before she stopped, hesitated, then said. _“… No. No it’s really not.” _

“Do you wish to talk about it?”

“_Not over scroll, which is why we need to have a team meeting—not _now_-now, though, it can wait whenever Weiss is feeling well enough.”_

Diana nodded, and wrote it down on a nearby pad. “I’ll make sure to inform them. Is there anything else?”

“_Well, not really official team business, but how are things back there?”_ Akko asked. _“It’s been a while since me and Okaa-san left for Wind Path.”_

Diana sighed. “Oh, peaceful since all the older Schnees are off on official business, but there has been another… minor incident.”

Akko giggled. _“Sexiled again?”_

“Yes, and _once more__, _I’d rather you don’t use that _forsaken _word.” Diana grumbled, blushing. “So, what time will you likely be coming home?”

There was a brief, noticeable moment of silence. _“… Ah, to be honest? I’m really not sure. Probably late, though, maybe even after dinner.”_

Diana checked the time: it was about 3 PM, dinner was usually at 8, and Wind Path was about an hour’s flight away from Hoshiko, especially since the Kagaris were using a private Haven ship. “I see...” she said. “Taking the opportunity to go sightseeing?”

_“… Yeah.”_ Akko said. _“Anyway, I should let you get back to whatever it is you were doing. Bye, Diana!”_

“Goodbye, Akko.” Diana said, before Akko hung up.

She looked at her scroll for a while, mixed emotions on her face, before she texted Ruby and Weiss. “Akko just called. She did not explain why, but she called for a team meeting as soon as Weiss is feeling well enough. I am assuming the reason is quite serious, so please be prepared for the worst.”

After a moment’s pause, she added, “And for goodness’ sake, please put on some _pants _this time!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the quality drop. Real life has been brutal and I underestimated how many things I’d be juggling at this time. Next chapter, my motivation, energy, and time willing, will be AWRD discussing the future of their team.


End file.
